Teen Who Fell Trees in Sycamore Gap Released After Just 10 Months, Sparking Outrage Among Locals

THE YOB that hacked down the Sycamore Gap tree has been released from prison after serving just 10 months of his four year and three month sentence.

Adam Carruthers, 33, and his former friend Daniel Graham, 40, were after being convicted.

The iconic tree fell on to Hadrian’s Wall when it was hacked downCredit: AFP Graham and Carruthers kept a trophy after carrying out their shocking act of vandalismCredit: PA The pair kept a chunk of the iconic tree as a ‘trophy’Credit: PA

The pair , causing it to fall and damage Hadrian’s Wall in September 2023.

Carruthers used a chainsaw to fell the tree, while Graham filmed him.

Now the thug has walked free early and is back on the streets under strict curfew rules.

Carruthers, from Wigton, , has been released wearing an electronic tag and must stick to tight conditions.

He has even returned to his old job at Cumbria Turf in Kirkbride, the firm named as his employer during the trial.

When asked if he was pleased to be out, he told News he was and added he had already gone back to work.

Under the terms of his release, he must spend between nine and 12 hours a day at his registered home address.

Both Carruthers and Graham were originally handed four years and three months behind bars.

Judge Mrs Justice Lambert told them they would serve a maximum of 40 per cent of that sentence.

That timeline suggested Carruthers would not be freed until January 2027.

But he instead walked early under the Home Detention Curfew Scheme.

The scheme allows inmates to be released after serving half of that reduced period, bringing Carruthers’ release date forward to March 15 this year.

A spokesperson said: “Anyone released into Home Detention Curfew faces strict licence conditions and must be tagged.

“Those who break the rules can be returned to prison.”

Outrage has been building among locals stunned by his early release.

One walker in said it was “unbelievable” and “he shouldn’t be at liberty”.

They added: “I’m not very impressed about that at all.

“For what he’s done – what he’s done for this area and what he’s done to our culture, no, he shouldn’t be allowed to do that.”

Another man said: “How important that is – it might be a little soon in the measurement of punishment.”

Jurors previously watched shocking footage recovered from Graham’s phone showing the moment the tree was cut down.

The clip captured Carruthers sawing through the trunk before the iconic landmark crashed backwards onto Hadrian’s Wall.

The destruction caused £622,191 worth of damage to the tree and a further £1,144 to the historic wall.

The tree stood for more than a centuryCredit: Getty Adam Carruthers hacked the tree downCredit: AFP Daniel Graham tried to blame the crime on CarruthersCredit: AFP

The site is a Unesco World Heritage Site and both the tree and wall are owned by the .

Back in his hometown, neighbours branded Carruthers a “bit of an idiot” who used to ride around on a mobility scooter as a child.

Locals claimed the unlikely duo saw Graham – described as having no friends – team up with Carruthers.

Graham admitted in court he did not socialise with anyone apart from his “bird” and Carruthers after they met.

But their partnership quickly soured as the pair turned on each other following their arrest.

Each blamed the other for the senseless act that sparked national outrage.

The court heard they even filmed the tree being felled and shared the clip as they fled the scene.

Their actions were branded a “moronic mission” that stunned the world.

Prosecutors also said the pair took a wedge of the tree as a trophy, but it was never recovered.

It is believed Carruthers may have taken it following the birth of his second child.

Sentencing them, Judge Lambert said she believed the pair were “both equally culpable” for the destruction.

The destruction caused £622,191 worth of damage to the tree and a further £1,144 to the historic wallCredit: PA The felling of the tree sparked huge public outcryCredit: PA